A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
THE BBQ GURU ahead in 100% of their meetings
THE BBQ GURU has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
HIDDEN FIRE
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1469
peak 1469 · rated over 5 contests ⓘ
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2013-04-19
latest 2015-08-28
Best ToY finish
#1589
Master 2014
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 74%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
603.08
last 5 Master vs avg 603.08 (+0.00)
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±18.31
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 154.51 · weakest Brisket (146.83)
Road miles
284
mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 123 mi
Schedule strength
13%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1518)
Master avg
603.08 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (3 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
The weak link
−7.7
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.68 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.
- Brisket avg 146.83
- Chicken avg 154.51
- 0 calls in 5 entries
A strong matchup
3–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of LAYMAN FAMILY BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
166 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4693 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to HIDDEN FIRE)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team HIDDEN FIRE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4703 of the rated field
- Contests
- 42
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1525
0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to HIDDEN FIRE)
They've been 1525 at their best, 57 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#4706 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1504
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4708 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1468
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 9 years after HIDDEN FIRE did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Head-to-head#4713 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1468
No shared contest yet.
Level with HIDDEN FIRE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#4694 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BBQ GURU | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| APORKALYPSE NOW | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 4:20 Q | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.8800 | 146.2972 | 154.51 | top 63% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2628 | 137.0744 | 151.85 | top 60% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.6800 | 139.9312 | 149.89 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160.0000 | 135.9428 | 146.83 | top 66% |
“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Holland Summer Fest | 3 | 46 | 0 | top 77% | 2015-08-28 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.4 yrs
2013-04-19 → 2015-08-28
Busiest season
2014
2 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
PA
3 of 5 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
3
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
5 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 154.51 · weakest Brisket (146.83)
Walk rate
0%
a top-10 call in 0 of 5 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 5 contests
Master average
603.08
out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
231
87–292 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
284
5 mapped stops · furthest 123 mi
Schedule strength
1518
average field rating faced — tougher than 13% of rated contests
Longest layoff
1 yrs
2014-08-22 → 2015-08-28
Power rating
1469
peak 1469 · #4696 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
- Peak power rating (1487) Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
- 2014
- Career-best overall score627.8400 Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)166.2628 New Holland Summer Fest
- 2015
- Most recent contest New Holland Summer Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +2.7 | Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival | 2014-05-02 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.3 | Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival | 2013-04-19 |
| -9.5 | New Holland Summer Fest | 2013-08-23 |
| -8.4 | New Holland Summer Fest | 2015-08-28 |
| -3.1 | New Holland Summer Fest | 2014-08-22 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 83.4% | 83.4% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 57% | 87.2% | 86.5% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 86% | 82.5% | 81.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-08-28 | New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA | 59 / 70 (600.3888) | 31 (161.1316) | 63 (144.5144) | 33 (158.8000) | 65 (135.9428) |
| 2014-08-22 | New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA | 46 / 70 (617.6228) | 62 (146.2972) | 13 (166.2628) | 66 (145.0628) | 19 (160.0000) |
| 2014-05-02 | Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival Annapolis, MD | 29 / 59 (627.8400) | 42 (153.6568) | 23 (160.5488) | 11 (165.6800) | 41 (147.9544) |
| 2013-08-23 | New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA | 57 / 71 (594.1140) | 20 (162.8800) | 67 (137.0744) | 66 (139.9312) | 39 (154.2284) |
| 2013-04-19 | Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival Salisbury, MD | 97 / 106 (575.4278) | 89 (148.5712) | 62 (150.8572) | 96 (139.9996) | 91 (135.9998) |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1589 (150 pts) | #1666 (150 pts) | #1357 (220 pts) | #1372 (220 pts) | #1518 (180 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1970 (75 pts) | #2073 (75 pts) | #2043 (75 pts) | #2080 (75 pts) | #2034 (75 pts) |